Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said South Korea could become a partner in developing the Sinop nuclear power plant, in an interview with Yonhap news agency published on November 2. His remarks come as Erdogan arrives in Seoul for a state visit.
Sinop would be Turkey’s second nuclear power plant, on the Black Sea coast. Ankara has carried out extensive preliminary feasibility studies with South Korean state-owned utility KEPCO and continues to assess the project’s technical and economic conditions. Erdogan spoke of close attention to the negotiations with Seoul and acknowledged Korea’s experience in the sector. “We consider the Republic of Korea a major potential partner in this undertaking,” he said.
No final choice has been made yet. According to Erdogan, the final decision will take into account generation costs, financing structure and the impact on the Turkish economy. The project has not reached the final selection stage or contract signing, and Seoul is awaiting further steps on the nuclear file.
The path already has a written foundation. KEPCO and Türkiye Nuclear Energy Inc. signed a nuclear cooperation memorandum during Lee’s visit to Turkey in November 2025. This year’s summit is its follow-up. Erdogan will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on November 3, during a visit that runs through November 4. Nuclear power is among the main items on the agenda. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar is also traveling with the president.
The nuclear dossier is part of a broader economic partnership. Erdogan named defense, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and robotics as areas of cooperation and called for more investment and joint production in Turkey. Trade between the two countries reached $11.4 billion in 2025 and $8.7 billion in the first nine months of this year, against a stated target of $15 billion a year. The Turkish president also invited Korean companies to take part in transport and logistics projects linking Asia and Europe.
For Seoul, the stakes are concrete. A contract at Sinop would give KEPCO a new construction site abroad and confirm the Korean nuclear supply chain in emerging markets. For Ankara, which is already building Akkuyu with Russian technology, it would mean diversifying suppliers. The final communiqué of the November 3 summit will show whether the memorandum becomes a formal negotiation with a roadmap.
